Canva Acquires Affinity To Fill the Adobe-Sized Holes In Its Design Suite

Web-based design platform Canva has acquired the Affinity creative software suite for an undisclosed sum, though Bloomberg reports that it's valued at 'several hundred million [British] pounds.' The Verge reports that the acquisition helps the company '[position] itself as a challenger to Adobe's grip over the digital design industry.' From the report: Canva announced the deal on Tuesday, which gives the company ownership over Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher -- three popular creative applications for Windows, Mac, and iPad that provide similar features to Adobe's Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign software, respectively. [T]he acquisition makes sense as the Australian-based company tries to attract more creative professionals. As of January this year, Canva's design platform attracted around 170 million monthly global users. That's a lot of people who probably aren't using equivalent Adobe software like Express, but unlike Adobe, Canva doesn't have its own design applications that target creative professionals like illustrators, photographers, and video editors.

Affinity apps are used by over three million global users according to Canva -- that's a fraction of Adobe's user base, but Affinity shouldn't be underestimated here. The decision to make its Affinity applications a one-time-purchase with no ongoing subscription fees has earned it a loyal fanbase, especially with creatives who are actively looking for alternatives to Adobe's subscription-based design ecosystem. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Canva co-founder Cameron Adams said that Affinity applications will remain separate from Canva's platform, but that some small integrations should be expected over time. 'Our product teams have already started chatting and we have some immediate plans for lightweight integration, but we think the products themselves will always be separate,' said Adams.

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